Julia Liikala Explained
Julia Liikala (born 20 March 2001) is a Finnish ice hockey winger and member of the Finnish national ice hockey team. She is signed with the Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta Girls (HCAP Girls) of the Swiss Women's League (SWHL A) for the 2024–25 season.
Playing career
Liikala was born and raised in Peräseinäjoki, which was merged with Seinäjoki in 2005. As a child, she began playing ice hockey with the local club, S-Kiekko. Her debut in a women's league came at age 13, in a Naisten Suomi-sarja game between S-Kiekko and the Kisa-Eagles on 7 February 2015, where she scored the sixth goal in a 10–0 whitewash.[1]
At age 16, Liikala considered joining Team Kuortane of the Kuortaneen urheilulukio in Kuortane, 420NaN0 east of Seinäjoki, where a significant number of players from the Finnish national U18 team played and attended secondary school . Ultimately, she felt that Kuortane was too close to home and opted instead to sign with HPK Kiekkonaiset and continue her studies in Hämeenlinna, 2350NaN0 away.[2]
International play
As a junior player with the Finnish national U18 team, Liikala participated in three IIHF World Women's U18 Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2019.
In 2019, Finnish national team head coach, Pasi Mustonen, described Liikala as having an extremely high potential of earning a roster position on the team for the 2022 Winter Olympics[3] and she was selected to represent Finland at the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship. She was officially named to the roster on 4 March 2020,[4] prior to the cancellation of the tournament on 7 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] [6] She had previously appeared with the national team at all of the tournaments of the 2019–20 Women's Euro Hockey Tour.[7] [8] [9]
Liikala ultimately made her World Championship debut in 2021, recording two assists in seven games and winning bronze. As predicted, she was selected to represent Finland in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and took home an Olympic bronze medal.
She recorded her first World Championship goal in the preliminary round of the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship, the lone goal scored for Finland in a 1–4 loss to .[10]
Statistics
Year | Team | Event | Result | | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|
| | | 5th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Finland U18 | WW18 | 5th | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Finland U18 | WW18 | | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| | | | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
2022 | Finland | | | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | Finland | WW | 6th | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
2023 | Finland | WW | 5th | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Junior totals | 16 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
---|
Senior totals | 28 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | |
---|
Notes and References
- Web site: 2015-02-07. 2014–15 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: S-Kiekko – Kisa-Eagles. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622122928/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/game/?season=2015&gameid=38397&lang=fi. 22 June 2020. 2020-06-22. tilastopalvelu.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi.
- Web site: Teiskonlahti. Kirsi. 2019-11-07. Julia Liikala on yksi Naisleijonien tulokkaista, jonka erityinen pelikäsitys voi tehdä hänestä tulevaisuudessa tähden – matkalla menestykseen HPK-hyökkääjää neuvoo liigan ennätysnainen. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622171531/https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11052843. 22 June 2020. 2020-06-22. Yle. fi.
- Web site: Virtanen. Samuli. 2019-11-18. Naisleijonien päävalmentaja tarkasti HPK:n – "Liikala ja Karjalainen potentiaalisia olympiapelaajia 2022". live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200623035551/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/naisleijonien-paavalmentaja-tarkasti-hpkn-liikala-ja-karjalainen-potentiaalisia-olympiapelaajia-2022-948598/. 23 June 2020. 2020-06-22. Hämeen Sanomat. fi.
- Web site: Koivunen. Pertti. 2020-03-04. HPK-kaksikon kausi huipentuu MM-jäillä – Ida Karjalainen ja Julia Liikala debytoivat naisten arvokisoissa Kanadassa. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200625101918/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/hpk-kaksikon-kausi-huipentuu-mm-jailla-1083407/. 25 June 2020. 2020-06-22. Hämeen Sanomat. fi.
- Web site: Naisleijonien MM-joukkue valittu – Sukupolven vaihdos tuo MM-joukkueeseen seitsemän ensikertalaista. Malmberg. Henna. 2020-03-04. leijonat.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi-fi. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201212093535/http://www.leijonat.fi/index.php/maajoukkueet/naisleijonat/2019-20/mm2020/item/37573-naisleijonien-mm-joukkue-valittu-sukupolven-vaihdos-tuo-mm-joukkueeseen-seitseman-ensikertalaista. 12 December 2020. 2020-03-05.
- Web site: Women's Worlds cancelled. Steiss. Adam. 2020-03-07. IIHF. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200307232554/https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/ww/news/18296/women%E2%80%99s-worlds-cancelled. 7 March 2020. 2020-03-10.
- Web site: Player Profile: Julia Liikala. eliteprospects.com. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101005304/https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/500705/julia-liikala. 1 November 2020. 2020-03-11.
- Web site: EHT: 4 Nations Tournament 20.-24.8.2019, FIN: Kokoonpanot. tilastopalvelu.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230207124617/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/serierosterlist/?stgid=7327&season=2020&tid=683426361&sid=1663&lang=fi&pdf=1. 7 February 2023. 2020-03-11.
- Web site: 5 Nations Tournament 6.-10.11.2019, Dmitrov, RUS: Kokoonpanot. tilastopalvelu.fi. Finnish Ice Hockey Association. fi. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230207122911/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/serierosterlist/?stgid=7646&season=2020&tid=683426361&sid=1692&lang=fi&pdf=1. 7 February 2023. 2020-03-10.
- Web site: Rautiainen . Reima . 2022-08-25 . Jäähyillyt Kanada kaatoi Naisleijonat MM-avauksessa rutiinilla – Suomelle jäi ylivoimapelissä parannettavaa . 2022-09-05 . . fi . 5 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905152901/https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/5745022 . live .